ECS Weekly: Potential changes under new US presidential administration, Spring 2021 fellowships, funding opportunities

Potential changes and opportunities under a new administration

Given the results from the 2020 United States presidential election, scientists may be wondering what changes, if any, we should anticipate under the Biden administration. What reversals or proposals may come to change or repair our field? The new administration has stated it will appoint a science adviser immediately, rather than waiting 19 months, signifying a new weight on science policy in the coming years. The new administration has a mountain to climb, which it acknowledges, stating that it “chooses science over fiction.” The work starts now:

Potential changes in funding:

One concern during an administrative transition is cuts to science funding. During the past four years, Congress has ignored the deep cuts the White House has proposed in its annual budget requests. For example, the National Institutes of Health has seen its budget rise by 39% in the past five years, despite the deep cuts the Trump administration proposed. The budget of the National Science Foundation has gone up by 17% over the past three years, reversing the downward direction that had been proposed. The incoming administration has proposed increasing overall research funding; however, no additions/revisions of potential grants have been provided beyond broad proposals.

One important selection is based on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Under the previous administration, the office was not involved in public affairs. Conversely, the new administration floated the idea of elevating the office’s director to a Cabinet-level job, though it is not clear whether that prospect is still on the table.

Potential changes in research focus:

Many scientists are left wondering what potential changes in funding allocation the new administration may enact. The immediate announcement of a COVID advisory board has led some to speculate increases in funding directed at developing vaccines and analyzing effects of potential contagions. Indeed, they have proposed analyzing long-term effects of the virus.

One clear mission statement of the new administration is to have the United States rejoin the Paris climate accord and strengthen climate change policy—a feat that can be performed by legislative action and executive orders. This approach is expected to be strengthened by returning a larger role to the currently diminished EPA. Changes in funding for climate change research remain unknown at this time.

Potential changes in foreign policy/collaborations/students:

The previous administration led efforts to limit or prohibit scientific collaborations with countries deemed national security risks. In addition to limiting collaborations, many immigrant scientists have been under siege by policies threatening to remove them from the country. While many academics oppose such borders being placed on science, change was needed and has been implemented on a broader level.

Many scientists support and even prosper under open access and collaborative studies, and such proposals ran counter to this traditionally open environment. Many in science believe that it was this collaborative mentality that propelled the USA to be one of the best research settings in the world.

The new administration currently proposes:

Allowing the number of work-based visas to vary based on economic conditions;
Exempting recent PhD graduates in STEM fields from visa caps;
Creating a new visa category for large- and mid-sized cities and counties that want to attract immigrants to support local population growth.

GSA Early Career Leadership Program Resources

Ruth A. Isaacson, Sarah N. Bay, and Megan N. McCarty published Supporting the Next Generation of Researchers: GENETICS Peer Review Training Program, detailing the outcomes and successes of the GENETICS Peer Review Program! This program will begin accepting applications again in Spring 2021.

NEW! Angel Cisneros, Nashrah Ahmad, Carla Bautista, Adelita Mendoza, Caitln Simopoulos, and Jacob Steenwyk from the Communication and Outreach Subcommittee published a piece on ecrLife about the road towards making science gender-neutral.

Use the GSA Policy Fellowship Database curated by the Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee to filter by required education, location, compensation, application deadline, and other features, making it easier to find opportunities that fit your unique needs.

The Communication and Outreach Workshop organizers created a list of helpful resources for those interested in scicomm.

Data Scientist: neurobiology | Cohen Veterans Bioscience | New York, NY, United States/ Cambridge, MA, United States

Postdoc researcher: suicide genetics | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT, United States

Research specialist: molecular, cell, and developmental biology | University of California, Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, CA, United States

Research scientist: plant molecular detection | Health Canada | Ottawa, Canada

Postdoc Fellow in Neurobiology | Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD, United States

Postdoc Fellow, epigenetics and ncRNA biology | NYU Langone Medical Center | New York, NY, United States

Apply to the Committee for Postdocs and Students (COMPASS) to focus on career development, outreach, and science communication. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

NEW! The new call for the 2020 IBSA Foundation Fellowships is now available! The IBSA Foundation awards five fellowships every year, each worth €30,000, to young researchers under the age of 40, from universities and research institutes around the world. One of this year’s fellowships is dedicated to coronavirus infections. Apply here before December 31, 2020.

NEW! The new call for the 2021 L’Oréal USA for Women in Science fellowships is now available! This program awards five women postdoctoral scientists annually with grants of $60,000 each for their contributions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields and commitment to serving as role models for younger generations. Apply before January 29, 2021. More details here.

The Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program is a full-time, hands-on training and educational program that provides early career individuals with the opportunity to work at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The application deadline is April 30, 2021.

Current professional development and training opportunities

NEW! The Ellison Lab is recruiting PhD students with an interest in coevolution and conflict between transposable elements (TEs) and their host genomes through computational analyses with the opportunity to do wet lab. More details here.

The NSF is offering supplemental non-research funding for grad students whose PIs are NSF-funded. More details here.

The National Institute of Health’s Early Career Reviewer Program aims to help early career scientists become more competitive grant applicants through first-hand experience with peer review and to enrich and diversify CSR’s pool of trained reviewers. Sign up today!

Ohio research universities have a wealth of academic, laboratory, and other resources available to businesses across Ohio and the globe. Ohio Innovation Exchange connects industry to those resources, fostering collaboration, and economic development.

Consider joining the National Postdoctoral Association, which aims to improve the overall experience of postdoctoral researchers.

You may experience pushback when opening conversations about anti-racism actions in your organization, academic institution, or company. Check out these Responses to 10 Common Criticisms of Anti-Racism Action in STEM.

The mission of the National Science Policy Network is to catalyze the engagement of early career scientists and engineers in policy making by training the next generation of leaders, fostering community, and advocating for the role of science in policy. Consider becoming a member.

Student Engagement Strategies for Virtual Classrooms: This series of three courses aims to help educators transition from brick-and-mortar instruction to virtual classrooms.

Are you teaching genetics and looking for some new ideas? Check out CourseSource, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes field-tested articles describing undergraduate biology activities.

The Letters to a Pre-Scientist pen pal program, or LPS, pairs fifth to tenth grade student “pre-scientists” in low-income communities in the US with STEM professional volunteers during science class. Sign up to be a penpal today!

Interested in a career outside of academia? Check out the Interactive Simulation Exercises for Career Transitions for example tasks from a variety of career options.

Take advantage of this time indoors; use it to maintain your forward trajectory by engaging in a mentoring connection. MyMentor is MyNRMN's one-on-one guided virtual mentoring feature, which provides an evidence-based curriculum to help you feel comfortable in a virtual capacity. It also promotes independence, self-efficacy, and confidence in your education and/or career path.

Find a detailed list of funding schemes and travel funding opportunities for postdocs using the Early Career Scientists Central Database.